Monday, May 13, 2013

History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs (Part Four 2007-2008)

MEET THE NEW TROPE

There’s a few less items here than on previous lists. In
fact a couple are edge-cases that I opted to leave on. I suspect that may be
random, but it does coincide with the arrival of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. That shook up the gaming industry and forced d20-heavy companies to
start looking at where they wanted to go. At the same time, gaming pdfs also
settled into comfortable acceptance- with stable lines of distribution and more
tools to easily use them at the table. Before they’d been revolutionary, now
they became a standard feature of the trade. Outside gaming, the same kind of
shift happened to Steampunk as a genre. It was simply here- in covers, in
cosplay, and in spec-fic generally. Look at the advancement of graphics and images
related to the genre. A few years before many publishers used the same gear
clip arts and sets of details. Now they had thousands of new visual approaches.
Novelty had well and truly worn off. You can see some of that by the
acceleration of books under the genre. I’m not saying all of those were
cash-ins, but some were. Any genre that hits a level of popular consciousness attracts
attention from publishers looking for the next hot thing.

That’s not a bad thing, but feels a little odd to me for a
genre which remains so ill-defined. Is steampunk purely an aesthetic, or is
there some deeper resonance behind it? It something simply ‘looks’ steampunky,
is it? More than most other genres, I’d say yes. But then again, I’m trying to
assemble a wide-ranging list of rpgs here…

LOGIC DEMANDS

I left some interesting games off this list. Rocketship
Empires 1936for example looks quite cool, but falls more
into the pulp category (and a later period). I’ve mentioned that for the most
part I leave Napoleonic era material off these lists, which means the excellent
Duty & Honour doesn’t show up here.I’ve also left
off several interesting free rpgs: The
Holmes and Watson Committee; Inland
Empire; and Necrorama!. You can find an explanation of my
arbitrary labels on the first list entry. I’ve focused on core game lines or
supplements offering a significant shift or change to the setting. So if one
module offers some steampunk bits, I’ve left it off the list. I welcome
discussions and suggestions as I work through these lists. I've arranged the
items chronologically and then alphabetically within the year of publication. I
break the time periods down arbitrarily, trying to keep 20 items or less per
list.

(2007, Steampunk-esque) An interesting idea which
brings clockwork and steamtech to a to the forefront of classic D&D
setting, Blackmoor. I recall some ideas about gadgets existed originally in
that setting. From the table of contents, the supplement appears to be about one-third
background and 2/3rd new mechanics and rules for using gadgetech in a Blackmoor
campaign. That includes the usual d20 suspects: feats, spells, and prestige
classes. There's a system for player-driven investions, a concept which sounds
appealing but will probably require careful GM management. Like most of the
line from Zeitgeist, a pdf version of this can be found cheaply
on RPGNow.

(2007, Victoriana) While this game can be played in
various settings (from an earlier period up through the Pulp 1930's) it
definitely has a Victorian Drawing Room vibe to it. This is a collaborative
storytelling RPG in which a player spins a tale about a particular expedition,
with the other players adding on or questioning that story. There are dice
mechanics, but generally the game plays out goofing with the narrative. The
tales involve the characters exploring fantastical places and exploring strange
corners of the earth- allowing the setting to range from Verne to Haggard and
everything in between. It reminds me more than a little of The
Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen. There's little setting or
background. Instead the rules offer another way to play out classic tales and
adventures in the genre.

(2007, Steampunk-esque) A German rpg which seems to
translate as "Elyrium - Heritage of the Titans." It seems to take
place in a fantasy world with heavy steam-tech elements. Think of it as
Dungeons & Dragons with black-powered and steampunk gadgets. The key
element of the setting beyond this is a secret war between forces of light and darkness.
If your curious about other attempts at wild world-building and know German, it
might be interesting to check out.

(2007, Victoriana) A Spanish rpg blending alt history
with exploration of fairy tales. I don't think I can top the summary offer by
the author, "Fables: exploits of the Storytellers Society. Are fables just
fables, or views of a greater reality? Could it be that anything narrated in
the stories of old hid a terrible and marvelous truth, at the same time? Do
you want to believe, or will you ignore the events you've witnessed?

Fairy tales beings, legendary creatures and magic objects are amongst us. And
you look for them purposefully. The Storytellers Society needs ladies and gentlemen
of unusual talents to help them face that part of reality the common man
doesn't dare to glimpse. When the gaslight goes out, who looks at you from the
shadows...? Fables is a roleplaying game for two or more players which
recreates the adventures of the Storytellers Society, daring investigators and
wise studious of the unreal and the mythical, mainly ignored by Humanity but transmitted through folklore as archaic superstitions or children stories.

Working with secrecy behind their masquerade as an editorial of fairy tales and
folklore, the agents of the Society investigate in the corners of the mortal
world all kind of strange events looking for traces of supernatural activity,
to learn and mediate if possible. Or to fight fire with fire, if there is not
alternative. Set in the 19th century, Fables places the players between the
dirty grey of the real world and the blinding shine of the unreal originality
of creatures and environments characteristic of the fairy tales. But unlike
most fairy tales, there isn't always a happy end. Based on the Fudge
system."

(2007, Post-Victoriana) Technically this falls
outside of the classic Victoriana period. AKA Fellowship of the White Star,
this d20 setting offers a supernatural investigation campaign frame. The game
covers the period from 1905 to 1914. That's an interesting coda to the
Victorian era- covering a period often ignored in gaming. This is a slightly
alt-history setting, with secret horrors behind the veil of everyday life. This
is a striking labor of love clearly for the publishers- with an ongoing set of
campaign adventures which update and move the story forward. That seems to be
continuing, with the company now up to 1909. You can check out the
website here. MJ Harnish has a review of the core book here- Review:
Fellowship of the White Star - Legacy of the Rose.

(2007, Pre-Victoriana) Here's another case where I
break rules- two at once with this one. It is a free pdf game, and one which
covers the pre-Victorian period. But the material and idea's a compelling one-
essentially a framework to play out Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke. But the bibliography cites a number of Victorian sources as
well. I think you can read this as a set rules for that era as well. Gentlemen
(and Gentle Ladies) Magicians living and encountering the strange in their
daily lives. The key conceit of the material is that magic is risky and
dangerous. I wonder if one could mash this up with Ars Magica a little-
with magic much more unpredictable and dangerous, yet harnessed by a set of
people certain in their own skill and superiority.

(2007, Steampunk-esque) Another Japanese tabletop rpg
with steampunk elements. From Wikipedia, "Tenra War is a Japanese
mixed-genre tabletop role-playing game designed by Jun'ichi Inoue and FarEast
Amusement Research. It was released in April 2007. It is a triple crossover
product, based on an oriental science fantasy RPG Tenra Bansho,
steampunk western RPG Terra the Gunslinger, and post-apocalypse mecha
RPG Angel Gear. All three of the original games were designed by
Jun'ichi Inoue." So is that more like Rifts or like crossover
videogames (Cross
Edge or Project X Zone)? I like the concept of a mash
up of popular rpg franchises- imagine the Vampire, Pathfinder,
and Apocalypse World game.

(2007, Steampunk-esque/Victoriana) I picked up Unhallowed Metropolis
on the strength of the packaging and some word of mouth. I expected a
Victorian-era game with some dystopian elements- perhaps a supernatural threat
(Zombies vs Gentlemen?). What those who recommended the game to me hadn't
mentioned was the Neo-Victorian setting- with the game actually set in 2100. As
with Etherscope, the game presents a world which has somehow stuck with the
look and feel of the era decade later. The game wants to have the look of
steampunk combined with horror and some science-fiction elements. However I'm
not entirely convinced those add much to the setting- or at the very least they
could have easily been done with a less outrageous gap in time. But I know
that's a personal reaction and quirk.

An undead outbreak at the beginning of the 20th Century threw the world into
disarray. Two hundred years later, cities remain as the refuges for a society which
has built itself out of old pieces, weird tech, and occult practices. The
feel's one of decay and death, and it reminds me most of a/state, though
done with less surrealism and weirdness. Still, Unhallowed Metropolis focuses
on atmosphere over coherence. It reminds me a little of Dark City, a
cool-looking film that had me going s'wha? throughout. Unhallowed metropolis
has seen a resurgence in recent years- with the property now in the hands of
Atomic Overmind Press. A new supplement, Unhallowed
Necropolis, greatly expands the supernatural options for the game.

(2008, Steampunk) Subtitled "Amazing Machines
and their Construction." Described as a steampunk sourcebook for True20,
this mostly focuses on the technological side of things. Not that that's a bad
thing. It offers interesting systems and ideas for areas the core True20 rules
treats only lightly- vehicles, technology, and devices. That's the kind of
thing that often made my head simple in earlier "stuff" construction
sourcebooks for generic systems (like GURPS GURPS
Vehicles (First Edition) or GURPS Mecha). This
offers lighter options. It is a pretty small volume, only 48 pages, but what's
there is densely packed in. The pdf's priced at $12 on RPGNOw which seems a
little high. I'm fond of simple systems to handle these kinds of concepts, so
I'm more sympathetic towards it. By its nature True20 doesn't allow too much
over-elaboration (well, except perhaps for the True20 Expert's
Handbook...)

(2008, Victorian) A game which took a long time to
actually see print. The demo pack for it appeared four years before this saw
print. Ghosts of Albion uses Cinematic Unisystem to present a
Victorian supernatural investigation campaign, based on the IP created by Amber
Benson and Christopher Golden. (I use the term IP very particularly). The
slightly out-of-date
wikipedia page has more details. Players can play normal humans or
supernatural beings. This is a classic core book- complete
rules, setting material, running a game, etc. I wouldn't recommend it
as a sourcebook for the period; other games provide richer material. However,
if you're looking for a fast and complete Victorian game with supernatural
elements, Ghosts of Albion works.

(2008, Steampunk) Another interesting German
steampunk rpg. The publisher's blurb (as translated by Google) reads, "In
a world where everything counts etiquette and powerful steam technology has
become indispensable in all areas of life, the Maata wander through the
shadows: The Soulless. In search of her lost soul they have to endure terrible
danger, but the reward is worth the effort. Take back your soul. Are you completely.
Explore the world Kuriph-Aleph as a person or a member of four unique races!
Set out on a seven ways to regain their soul and use their bizarre supernatural
abilities! Experience rousing battles with the tactical PAI system, both on the
battlefield and in the social theater!"

Though hard to tell from that, this game is horror. The PCs have their souls
splintered which allows them to see behind the veil. The setting itself seems
to be a shattered science-fantasy world inspired by Victoriana. It echoes the
"New Weird" steampunk of Mieville.

(2008, Steampunk-esque) A strikingly pragmatic d20
sourcebook. Steamworks presents a fully developed set of systems to drop
technology into a fantasy campaign. In some ways, it treats technology as a form of magic- though it offers some spells for existing classes. It has two new core classes- Inventor and Technologist. I'm still not certain what really distinguishes one from the other.
The book has new skills, feats, and prestige classes, but bulk deals with
construction rules and example devices. The rules here are detailed and focuses on system mechanics. d20 gamers will find decent material, but
gamers from other systems may not find this as useful.

(2008, Steampunk-esque) This setting is at the
fringes of steampunk, but it certainly borrows a few design elements. That
comes by way of Final Fantasy rather than Victoriana. The world's
shattered, with deadly magical radiation permeating the skies. The lands remain
as floating islands and travel between them utilizes sky-ships and magical
vessels. The material's pretty brutal and dark when you look closely. Some of
the racial options and world-building here is clever and novel (their version
of the Elves and the created subject races particularly offers great concepts).
To me, the steampunk comes from the look and concepts. Gadgets and gear have
that mixed fantasy and tech look to them. As with many Savage Worlds
setting books, Sundered Skies offers a complete campaign arc story. This
has been supplemented by a couple of products including Sundered Skies
Companion, Sundered
Skies: Compendium 1, and Sundered
Skies: Compendium 2.

(2008, Steampunk-esque) Technically this should have
appeared on an earlier list for the first edition. But author clash bowley was
nice enough to send me a pdf of this revised edition of Sweet
Chariot. Subtitled "A World of Steam and Sparks", this offers a
more classic sci-fi take. Chariot's one world among a the colonized star system
of Gloria. A combination of cultural manipulation and limited technologies result in a patchwork civilization echoing the 19th Century. As opposed to other anachronistic games, Sweet Chariot has
some logic for why the world looks as it does. That throwback society mixes with
aliens, advanced steamtech, and the wild nature of the planet itself.

While that premise is interesting, it takes some time to get a picture of what
the Sweet Chariot's about. The game builds in a great deal of backstory-
there's the sense of campaign notes assembled. It reads more like a novel than
a campaign frame. You have to make your way through a lot of material which
will be irrelevant to play to get to what's going on. That is bowley's style-
and one he's spoken about as a conscious approach. My sense, and I'm probably
badly paraphrasing him here, is that he wants to put out this dense material
for the players/GM and let them carve the game they want from that. That can be
offputting for those expecting a more conventional game design and
presentation.